Helen Kane was an American popular singer, her signature song, "I Wanna Be Loved By You". Fleischer Studios animator Grim Natwick used Helen Kane as the model for his studio's most famous creation, Betty Boop. Uploaded By BoopBoopaddoop
In a interview with Helen Kane, she Stated that she is the Boop Oop a Doop Girl, and not the Boop Boop a Doop girl.
which is very weird becuse Betty Boop is the Boop Oop a Doop Girl. which is meaning who is imitating who? we know betty is the imitation, but who did kane imitate? Baby esther mabey?
These Songs Include five Versions recorded by Ms Kane of her most song which made her famous overnight. Including a rare version.
Each sound diffrent to one another & the rest includes imitations from a few people Edie Adams,Betty Boop,Kay Barry & Cheryl Chase.
Born as Helen Schroeder, Kane attended St. Anselmâs Parochial School in the Bronx.She spent the early 1920s trouping in vaudeville as a singer and kickline dancer with a theater engagement called the 'All Jazz Revue.' She played the New York Palace for the first time in 1921. Her Broadway days started there as well with the Stars of the Future (1922-24, and a brief revival in early 1927). She also sang onstage in an early singing trio, The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce.
Kane's career break came in 1927, when she appeared in a musical called A Night in Spain. Although the musical closed after only 22 performances, Paul Ash, the band conductor, put her name forward for a performance at New York's Paramount Theater).
Kane's first performance at the Paramount Theater in Times Square proved to be her career's launching point. She was singing "That's My Weakness Now", when she interpolated the scat lyrics Boop Boop a Doop This resonated with the flapper culture, and four days later, Helen Kanes name went up in lights.
Oscar Hammersteins (1928) show Good Boy, where she first introduced the hit, "I Wanna Be Loved by You" . Then it was back to the Palace, as a headliner for $5,000 a week. She rejoined her friends from vaudeville, The Three X Sisters (formerly The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce) for one night. In a 1935 live stage performance, she harmonized with their unique banter to a novelty tune, "The Preacher and the Bear".
As she took on the status of a singing sensation, there were Helen Kane dolls and Helen Kane look-alike contests, appearances on radio and in nightclubs. This cult following reached its peak in late 1928 and stayed there until early 1929.
Kane's height (only 5 feet tall) and slightly plump figure attracted attention and fans. Her round face with big brown eyes was topped by black, curly hair; her voice was a baby squeak with a distinct Bronx dialect.
In 1930, Fleischer Studios animator Grim Natwick introduced a caricature of Helen Kane, with droopy dog ears and a squeaky singing voice, in the Talkartoons cartoon Dizzy Dishes. "Betty Boop", as the character was later dubbed, soon became popular and the star of her own cartoons. In 1932, Betty Boop was changed into a human, the long dog ears becoming hoop earrings.
In 1934 Helen Kane filed a $250,000 suit against Paramount and Max Fleischer, charging unfair competition and wrongful appropriation in the Betty Boop cartoons. The trial opened that year with Kane and Betty Boop films being viewed only by the judge. No jury was called. Ann Rotshchild aka little ann little, Margie hines,kate wright, Bonnie Poe, and most notably Mae Questel were all summoned to testify.
Little ann Little told the court how Boop oop a doop had started out as ba-da inde-do, which developed into bo do-de-o-do and finally to Boop Oop a Doop. the court stenographers glowered as Ann little gave her account. Helen kanes cousel asked little ann little, who spoke through-out the trial in a Betty Boop voice
Oh do you speak like that way at home?
which was actually true becuse little ann little actually spoke that way and the court heard anns Yes indeedy!
The case dragged on for more than two years before (a little-known African American singer known as "Baby Esther" had been cited by the defence for booping before helen kane, max fleischer located a old film of baby esther performing, which some people thought was spiked but it wasnt, the film broke half way though the Boop Oopy Doop routine when they was testing it so they had to stay up all night and also invloved paramounts lab and they eventually fixed the film and was able to show it to the court the next day before the trial.
the judge ruled against Kane, claiming her testimony did not prove that her singing style was unique and not an imitation itself
and also if you listen carefully to helens first two recordings
Get out & under the moon & thats my weakness now, she hadnt quite got the whole Boop Oop a doop routine, until she uttered the words in Goodboy.
and she had proberly seen baby esther perform in her cabaret act.
In a rare interview Helen Kane Says shes the Boop Oop a Doop girl and not the Boop Boop a Doop Girl. although she seems to have many scat lyrics, such as
Boop Oop a Doop, Poop Poop a Doop, & Boop Boop a Doop, and also Boop Boop be Doop. so its hard to guess properly what sort of scat lyrics she was in, but she will be known as the ( Boop Boop a Doop Girl) Becuse Betty is the (Boop Oop a Doop Girl). and you can see Betty is imitating Kane becuse she's actually also singing ( I wanna be loved by you)
With the hardships of the Great Depression biting, the flamboyant world of the flapper was over, and Kane's style began to date rapidly. After 1931 she lost the favour of the movie makers, who chose other singers for their films. She appeared in a stage production called Shady Lady in 1933, and made appearances at various nightclubs and theatres during the 1930s.
In 1950, Helen dubbed Debbie Reynolds, who performed "I Wanna Be Loved By You" in the MGM musical biopic of songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby: Three Little Words. She did not appear in the film's credits.
Helen also appeared on several TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s, principally Toast of the Town, later known as The Ed Sullivan Show. Kane's final public appearance was on the Sullivan Show on St. Patrick's Day 1965.
In addition, Helen Kane was given overdue tribute in the early 1950s on This is Your Life with Ralph Edwards. It brought a tearful reunion with Helen's old friend, actress Fifi D'Orsay, and a lifelong fan who once sent her money when she was down on her luck. Renewed interest in Helen brought her a one-record contract with MGM Records and appearances on I've Got a Secret and You Asked for It. She sang on all of these TV show apperances.
This audio is part of the collection:Community Audio It also belongs to collection:
Write a review
Downloaded 2,310 times
Reviews
Average Rating:
Reviewer:BoopBoopaddoop -
-
February 11, 2010 Subject:
Helen Kane - The original Boop Boop a Doop Girl
Helen Kanes Recordings Actually state She used the Word (Poop) instead of boop in most of her earliest Songs
like (Poop Oop e Doop) but when her signature song from the musical Goodboy was sang she added the word (Boop) also with some Poops & Bup Bup a dups you know them (Scat Singing Lyrics)
Oh and if you need proof that helen kane Pooped Before she Booped Here is a Autograph by her ->
http://dangermuffy.blogspot.com/2009/09/yo-yo-helen-kane-poop-connection.html
Not to mention Betty boop also used the Word Poop Oop a Doop, Also when bonnie poe was mainly voicing betty boop or playing betty boop she said ( poop Oop a Doop) also betty boop Poop Oop a Dooped in her first appearence ( Dizzy dishes 1930) Voiced by Margie hines, As We all know Betty Boop was a Helen kane Caricature in her earliest apperences, She still was one even when she had transformed into a human but helen kane had enough by (1934) and launched a lawsuit against the fleischer studios
Helen Kanes Personal Quote -->
I just put it in at one of the rehearsals, a sort of interlude. It's hard to explain -- I haven't explained it to myself yet. It's like vo-de-o-do, Crosby with boo-boo-boo, and Durante with cha-cha-cha." -- Helen Kane, explaining the creation of her "boop-boop-a-doop" signature phrase.
Other Quotes -->
"I thought you might like to know that her first introduction to “show business” was when her older sister, Gertrude took her to a talent show. [Gertrude] had entered the contest and while she was on the side waiting, Aunt Helen was also asked to perform - because she was so cute and the management wanted her on stage. It was at this time, she said, she was inspired and added the famous 'boop boop a doop' into her song. According to her, the audience went wild and she won the contest - beating out her own sister." -Melody, Gertrude's daughter and Helen's niece
"In our neighborhood in the Bronx, Aunt Helen would sit on the stoop and sing for everyone. Neither her nor Uncle Dan drove, so we would pick them up in Jackson Heights and sing all the way." -Mickey, Helen's niece
"I had a song sheet of Helen Kane and the spit curls came from her. So I just designed a little dog and put cute feminine legs on her and the earrings which developed later started out as long ears. I suppose I used a French poodle for the basic idea of the character." -Grim Natwick, creator of Betty Boop and Snow White, on his inspiration for creating Betty Boop.
"(Mae Questal) was only 17 when she won a contest to find a look-alike for Helen Kane, a singer then known as the boop-oop-a-doop queen. Questel imitated the singer in vaudeville shows...Her stage work won her a contract to take over the cartoon voice of Betty Boop.
With the hardships of the Great Depression biting, the flamboyant world of the flapper was over, and Kane's style began to date rapidly. After 1931 she lost the favour of the movie makers, who chose other singers for their films.
She appeared in a stage production called Shady Lady in 1933, and made appearances at various nightclubs and theatres & Radios during the 1930s
TVNews
OpenLibrary
![[item image]](https://ia600209.us.archive.org/15/items/HelenKaneTheOriginalBoopBoopADoopGirl/KaneImage_thumb.jpg?cnt=0 "[item image]")
![[help]](/images/question.gif "[help]")
